WASTE-TO-ENERGY Part of the Solution

Transcription

1 WASTE-TO-ENERGY Part of the Solution Meeting today s sustainable waste management needs. Planning for tomorrow. 2018

2 THE STATE OF TRASH IN BALTIMORE Baltimore City generates an estimated 1,481,522 tons of waste per year. That is 59,261 tractor trailers of waste. If you put them all together, they would be equivalent to the distance from Baltimore City to Jacksonville, Florida. 1 THE TRASH PROBLEM Despite aggressive efforts to promote recycling in Baltimore City, the Maryland Department of the Environment reports that our recycling rate remains stagnant at 20.01% - well below the national average. As Baltimore City generates nearly 1.5 million tons of trash every year, over 1.2 million tons of trash goes unrecycled today. 2 The U.S. EPA estimates 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable. Even if Baltimore City quadrupled its recycling rate to achieve 75%, there would still be some 375,000 tons of post-recycled and non-recyclable waste every year that must be managed responsibly. 3 WASTE-TO-ENERGY: PART OF A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION The U.S. EPA prefers waste-to-energy over landfilling for the management of post-recycled waste, stating that: Converting non-recyclable waste materials into electricity and heat generates a renewable energy source and reduces carbon emissions by offsetting the need for energy from fossil fuel sources and reducing methane generation from landfills. 4 Waste-to-energy reduces waste volumes by 90% and is not separate from, but an integral part of a necessary waste management continuum that includes reuse, reduction and recycling. Waste-to-energy recovers and recycles as much of the post-recycled and processed material as possible, namely through recovering and recycling ferrous scrap metals, such as iron and steel, and non-ferrous scrap metals, such as copper and aluminum. The remaining inert ash residue is regularly tested by independent laboratories using approved U.S. EPA methods and is consistently determined to be a non-toxic, non-hazardous waste according to stringent Maryland and U.S. EPA standards. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO LANDFILLS The only alternative to waste-to-energy is landfilling. Without Wheelabrator Baltimore s waste-to-energy facility, Baltimore City would send hundreds of thousands of tons of additional waste to landfills each year, including the recyclable metals that Wheelabrator pulls out of the waste stream for recycling. Diverting waste from landfills reduces greenhouse gas emissions that landfills emit and reduces the consumption of fossil fuels necessary to transport waste to landfills. At current disposal rates, the remaining capacity of municipal landfills in Maryland is only an estimated 31 years. Waste-to-energy facilities in comparison have indefinite lives if maintained properly. 5 Wheelabrator Baltimore s been an outstanding environmental steward in Baltimore City. Not only have they saved significant landfill space for the region, but they ve operated the plant in an efficient, clean manner producing clean, green electricity. -Chris Skaggs, Executive Director, Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority 1/9

3 WHEELABRATOR BALTIMORE Wheelabrator Baltimore is an integral part of Maryland s energy, environmental and economic infrastructure, providing sustainable waste management for 33 years. Wheelabrator Baltimore converts up to 2,250 tons of post-recycled waste from Baltimore area homes and businesses to provide as much as 52 net megawatts of clean, renewable baseload energy for sale to the local utility after meeting its own power demands. That is enough electricity to power 38,000 Maryland homes. By using local waste as fuel to create a local-energy ecosystem, the facility diverts waste from landfills and lowers greenhouse gases (GHG) by recycling metals, offsetting the use of fossil fuels and reducing methane emissions from landfills.6 Wheelabrator Baltimore delivers green steam to the downtown district energy system operated by Veolia North America which serves more than 255 businesses including M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. Wheelabrator is an economic engine, providing significant economic benefits to the city and the county annually including jobs, economic stimulus in the form of capital investments and the purchase of goods and services. B MO Wheelabrator has a strong commitment and track record for supporting a safe and healthy environment. WE CA RE N Wheelabrator Baltimore provides Baltimore City with baseload renewable energy* that reduces our reliance on and the environmental impacts of coal, oil and natural gas. Wheelabrator Baltimore reduces our reliance on Main Logo fossil fuels bylockup offsetting the need for up to: HEELABR W 795,067 we can A we can CT OR PROJE AT AND B MORE barrels of oil annually B MORE AND 238,479 tons of coal annually cubic ft. 3.6M of natural gas annually N B MO RE WE CA *Baseload energy is produced by sources which can reliably and consistently generate electrical power. An integrated approach Secondary Logo Lockup to energy production that includes wind, solar and waste-to-energy is necessary to meet the energy needs of residents, communities and businesses. 2/9

4 Wheelabrator Baltimore is one of the top-ten property taxpayers in the City of Baltimore. Since it started operations in 1985, the facility has processed over 20 million tons of waste. If it is conservatively assumed that an average tipping fee of $50 per ton was charged over this timeframe, this means that $1 billion in disposal costs have been kept in the local economy over this timeframe due to the implementation of this facility. Wheelabrator Baltimore An integral part of the region s environmental infrastructure and an important economic partner Solid Waste Association of North America 7 Wheelabrator Baltimore generates green steam for downtown Baltimore s heating and cooling system operated by Veolia North America, which serves 255 businesses in Baltimore City. Reduces GHGs by 47K tons per year FAST FACTS Equivalent to removing 8,400 cars from the road , , MW 29,000 2,240,000 Began Operations Tons of waste processed daily on average Tons of waste processed annually on average Of electricity on average Homes Powered Pounds of steam daily on average 3/9

5 Setting the record straight on sustainable waste management Misinformation A December 2017 Baltimore Sun article mischaracterized Wheelabrator Baltimore s impacts on air quality in Baltimore City. FACT: Highway gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles traveling in Baltimore City are the largest source of emissions by far at 47% - 10 times that of Wheelabrator Baltimore. 8 FACT: The Environmental Integrity Project s 2017 report entitled: Asthma and Air Pollution in Baltimore City stated it is likely that on-road vehicles are the largest contributor to the air pollution that people breathe in Baltimore. This is because there is significant traffic congestion in the area and because vehicle tailpipes, which are relatively close to ground-level, do not disperse pollution as widely as taller smokestacks. 9 FACT: The waste-to-energy industry is one of the most proven and stringently regulated industries in the U.S., Europe and all over the world. To ensure our adherence to all applicable regulations and permitting requirements, Wheelabrator Baltimore continuously monitors and records numerous plant and air quality control environmental parameters every minute to complete almost 800 compliance checks every day. 10 False choices Ideology v. Reality: There is no need to choose between wind, solar and other renewable energies. Sustainable energy is about an integrated approach to meet the energy needs of residents, communities and businesses. To meet current demand, we must take advantage of all sustainable energy production - wind, solar and waste-to-energy. Waste-toenergy is a tool that reduces GHG emissions, generates baseload electricity and avoids fossil fuels. The Baltimore Sun mentions a zero-waste future as an alternative to the current waste management system, which relies on the processing of post-recycled residential and business waste at Wheelabrator Baltimore. Waste-to-energy facilities do not compete with recycling programs. Both zero waste and wasteto-energy assume the maximum diversion of materials through source-separation recycling programs. Getting to zero waste is a process that will take time. Today, however, Baltimore City faces a significant waste management challenge. As a society we can achieve the cleaner air, water, and soil that we all want. Working toward a more circular economy is in everyone s best interest. But it is only through a pragmatic approach rooted in scientific and engineering realities that we will achieve success. Some organizations are actually rooted, however, in ideology, and this rigidity only serves, ironically, to hinder our progress toward a cleaner environment. CCNY-CUNY 11 There is an alternative waste management option that America has not significantly utilized but that could help stem the flow of waste, and thus pollution emissions, in our country: energyfrom-waste facilities. According to the EPA, for every ton of garbage processed at an energy-fromwaste facility, approximately one ton of emitted carbon-dioxide equivalent in the atmosphere is prevented. -Center for American Progress 12 WTE appears to be a better option than landfill gas to energy. If the goal is GHG reduction, then WTE should be considered as an option under U.S. renewable energy policies. -U.S. EPA Scientists 13 4/9

6 Waste-to-Energy Part of the Solution Waste-to-energy is the preferred method for waste disposal before landfilling The U.S. EPA includes waste-to-energy in its waste management hierarchy above landfilling and states specifically that: Converting nonrecyclable waste materials into electricity and heat generates a renewable energy source and reduces carbon emissions by offsetting the need for energy from fossil fuel sources and reducing methane generation from landfills. 14 Waste-to-energy is a renewable resource Waste-to-energy meets the two basic criteria for establishing what is a renewable energy resource: Its fuel source (post-recycled waste) is both sustainable and indigenous. Unlike wind and solar, waste-to-energy is a baseload energy source that operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year in all weather conditions. As a result, waste-to-energy facilities reliably generate approximately 14 billion kwh of electricity per year enough power for approximately two million American homes. Waste-to-energy facilities recover valuable energy from post-recycled waste after efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle have been implemented by households and local governments. Thirty-one states, the District of Columbia and two territories have defined waste-to-energy as renewable energy in various state statutes and regulations, including renewable portfolio standards. The waste-to-energy sector provides hundreds of millions of dollars to the communities it serves Waste-to-energy facilities provide stable, long-term, well-paying jobs, generating economic benefits for local economies through the purchase of local goods and services and the payment of fees and taxes. Waste-to-energy facilities contribute significantly to the green economy in the communities they serve, including green steam generation for municipal heating and cooling systems, the recovery of metals for recycling and in some markets, the reuse of inert ash for local construction. Zero waste is a collective goal, but not a near-term reality Despite aggressive efforts to promote recycling in Baltimore City, the Maryland Department of the Environment reports that our recycling rate remains at 20.01% - well below the national average. Generating nearly 1.5 million tons of trash every year, this means that approximately 1.2 million tons of trash goes unrecycled annually. The U.S. EPA estimates 75% of the American waste stream is actually recyclable today. If Baltimore City quadrupled its recycling rate to achieve 80%, there would still remain some 300,000 tons of post-recycled waste every year that must be managed responsibly. 5/9

7 Waste-to-Energy Part of the Solution Waste-to-energy provides sustainable, long-term waste management for local communities and converts post-recycled waste that would otherwise be landfilled into clean, renewable energy. Endorsed by the EPA, waste-to-energy is the environmentally preferred method of everyday residential and business waste disposal. The technology diverts waste from landfills, reduces greenhouse gases, recycles metals and provides a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Waste-to-energy complements and increases recycling rates. U.S. waste-to-energy facilities recover and recycle more than 730,000 tons of ferrous metals every year and communities that rely on waste-to-energy recycle at a higher rate than the national average. 15 Globally, in countries with some of the highest recycling rates (Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark), more than 30 percent (by weight) of total municipal waste is recovered in waste-to-energy facilities. What the experts say about waste-to-energy: Third Way: A mass-based [Clean Power Plan] approach allows states to support a wider range of carbon reducing activities, [including] existing carbon negative WTE generation. 16 World Economic Forum: WTE was recognized as a key emerging large-scale clean energy sector in a lowcarbon economy along with onshore and offshore wind, solar, cellulose ethanol and geothermal power. 17 CCNY-CUNY: Lofty ideals and utopian schemes many times interrupt the practical, deployable solutions that currently exist to ensure the safest, most environmentally friendly management of society s garbage. This is not to say that ideal solutions should be dismissed, but it should be recognized that during the pursuit of the optimal solution, practical, immediate methods need to be engaged. 18 6/9

8 Working together, WE CAN Bmore. Wheelabrator Baltimore has been a community partner and advocate for the Baltimore City. In addition to helping the city reduce its carbon footprint, we provide Tier 1 renewable energy to tens of thousands of Maryland homes and businesses. We have developed, supported and contributed to several green initiatives within the city. To further our commitment to the communities we serve, we have embarked on a public awareness and education campaign in partnership with local residents, businesses, government agencies and organizations to support waste reduction, diversion of waste from landfills, neighborhood beautification and the promotion of sustainable habits. WE CAN do more together. WE CAN sustain beautiful, clean communities. WE CAN divert waste from landfills. WE CAN BMORE. 7/9 wecanbmore.org A project of Wheelabrator Baltimore

9 WE CAN BMORE is a public awareness and engagement campaign that invests in waste reduction initiatives and the individuals, organizations and institutions that support this important cause in Baltimore City. Working in partnership with local residents, businesses, government agencies and organizations, WE CAN: Encourage the use of reusable materials and products Expand household composting Increase recycling rates Nurture engagement in neighborhood cleanups and reduce litter Divert non-recyclable waste from landfills As part of the campaign s commitment to the goals above, WE CAN BMORE provides and invests in the following resources: Reusable products like shopping bags and water bottles Composting kits Recycling bins and easy-to-access information about what can be recycled and when Investment in recycling and trash pickup days, including dumpsters and recycling collection WE CAN BMORE is interested in supporting other organizations in Baltimore City currently offering any of these services in our communities. 8/9 wecanbmore.org A project of Wheelabrator Baltimore

10 1. MDE, Maryland Solid Waste Management and Diversion Report, Rates.pdf Energy Recovery from the Combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), 5. Maryland Department of Legislative Services, Solid Waste Management and Recycling in Maryland, January U.S. EPA: Energy Recovery from the Combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units (CISWI): New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and Emission Guidelines (EG) for Existing Sources, Environmental Integrity Project, 2017, Asthma and Air Pollution in Baltimore City, org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/baltimore-asthma.pdf 12. Energy from Waste Can Help Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions, reports/2013/04/17/60712/energy-from-waste-can-help-curb-greenhouse-gas-emissions/ 13. Kaplan, P.O, J. DeCarolis, and S. Thorneloe, 2009, Is it better to burn or bury waste for clean electricity generation? Environ. Sci. Technology 43 (6) pp Energy Recovery from the Combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Energy Recovery Council, 2014, A Compatibility Study: Recycling and Waste-to-Energy Work in Concert, energyrecoverycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/erc-2014-berenyi-recycling-study.pdf 16. Third Way, 2016, Getting it Right: The Next Fifteen Years of Energy World Economic Forum, 2009, Green Investing: Toward a Clean Energy Infrastructure, sites/default/files/erc-2009_greeninvesting_jan_davos_report.pdf /9 wecanbmore.org A project of Wheelabrator Baltimore